2021 Land Rover Defender — MOT failures & pass rate
18,328 MOT tests on the 2021 Land Rover Defender are in this dataset, and 93.6% of them passed. That is 2.5 percentage points better than large SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 8.9%. Failures cluster in tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (3.0%) and lighting & signalling (2.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, registration plates and brake pads — headlamp aim alone was recorded 257 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 4.4% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 9.1% once past 90-120k — 2.1× the risk.
The petrol cars hold up better: 6.3% fail against 7.9% for hybrid, a 1.5-point gap across 3,656 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 13.7% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 9.9% in 2021 to 6.9% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 3.0% | 547 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 2.0% | 364 |
| 3 | Brakes | 1.0% | 177 |
| 4 | Visibility | 0.9% | 168 |
| 5 | Other defects | 0.7% | 124 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.6% | 108 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 257 |
| 2 | Registration plates | 193 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 153 |
| 4 | Position lamp | 112 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 98 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 98 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 13.7% | 2,509 |
| 2 | Brakes | 8.8% | 1,620 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.8% | 701 |
| 4 | Other defects | 3.7% | 673 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.8% | 138 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.3% | 63 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 7,223 | 4.4% |
| 30-60k | 9,259 | 7.4% |
| 60-90k | 1,616 | 9.7% |
| 90-120k | 175 | 9.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 14,672 | 6.4% |
| Petrol | 2,918 | 6.3% |
| Hybrid | 738 | 7.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 192 | 9.9% |
| 2023 | 264 | 3.0% |
| 2024 | 8,842 | 6.0% |
| 2025 | 9,022 | 6.9% |
What to check before buying a 2021 Defender
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 3.0% of tests. Start there.
- Tyres (3.0% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (2.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (1.0% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2021 Land Rover Defenders pass their MOT?
93.6% of the 18,328 2021 Land Rover Defender MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 6.4% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2021 Land Rover Defender?
Tyres, recorded in 3.0% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (2.0%).
Does the 2021 Defender get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 4.4% in the 0-30k band to 9.1% in the 90-120k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 18,328 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.